Knicks Legend Willis Reed Dead at 80; NBA Fans Mourn
(Photo : Photo by Keith Bedford/Getty Images)
Willis Reed, who was responsible for some of the most iconic scenes in New York Knicks history, passed away on Tuesday at 80.
  • New York Knicks captain Willis Reed died at the age of 80
  • Willis Reed was one of the most well-known, accomplished, and esteemed players in Knicks history
  • Reed was most notable for his involvement in Game 7 of the 1970 NBA Finals

Willis Reed, who courageously emerged from the locker room minutes before Game 7 of the 1970 NBA Finals to inspire the New York Knicks to their first title and produce one of the sport's most iconic examples of fighting through agony, passed away on Tuesday, the team reported. He was 80.

The Knicks posted an image of Reed stepping onto the court as his teammates warmed up for the 1970 championship game, one of the most famous moments in the history of the NBA and Madison Square Garden.

Knicks Captain Willis Reed Dead

Reed was described by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver as "the perfect team player and consummate leader" and "embodied the winning attitude" that characterized the early 1970s Knicks championship teams. The National Basketball Retired Players Association also reported Reed's death, which his family verified.

Reed could not go to New York on February 25 as the Knicks recognized the 50th anniversary of their 1973 NBA championship squad during their game versus New Orleans due to his recent bad health. Reed was the undersized center and emotional leader of the Knicks' two NBA championship teams, with a soft shooting touch from the outside and the tenacity to battle the era's great big men inside.

Per CBS News, his accomplishments, including seven All-Star appearances and two NBA Finals MVP trophies, would have merited admission into the Hall of Fame alone. Yet, his place in history was assured when he stepped onto the court on the final night of that season. Reed fell to the court in anguish after injuring a thigh muscle in Game 5 of the series between the New York Knicks and the Los Angeles Lakers.

Wilt Chamberlain scored 45 points and grabbed 27 rebounds in a Lakers rout, forcing a decisive game at Madison Square Garden. Reed's condition was undetected to even his Knicks teammates until well before Game 7.

When Reed emerged from the tunnel leading to the locker room, both teams were warming up, and the crowd erupted in applause when they saw him emerge.

With the arrivals of head coach Red Hotzman and Walt "Clyde" Frazier in 1967, Reed and the Knicks began to flex their muscles on a larger scale: the team won a franchise-record 54 games during the 1968-69 season and won its first playoff series since 1953 by sweeping the Baltimore Bullets in four games.

During the next four years, the Knicks would make three visits to the NBA Finals, meeting the Los Angeles Lakers each time. Reed was voted Finals Most Valuable Player in 1970 and 1973. Per si.com, Reed was the first player in NBA history to win the MVP award for the regular season, the All-Star Game, and the Finals.

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Willis Reed as Coach, CEO

Reed was not anticipated to participate in Game 7 at Madison Square Garden, where the Lakers were unexpectedly favored. After treatment and a cortisone injection, his prognosis improved significantly, and Knicks coach Red Holzman informed reporters just before tip-off that he anticipated his center to play.

Yet, as Reed's teammates warmed up in his absence, those aspirations appeared to be receding until his massive shoulders emerged from the Knicks tunnel, eliciting an instant standing ovation at MSG.

The radio announcer, Marv Albert, stated, "Now here comes Willis, and the audience is going wild."

Reed's entrance even halted the Lakers' pregame ritual. Walt Frazier's 37-point performance propelled the Knicks to a 14-point victory and the first of two NBA championships, despite his inability to score again. Reed's Knicks teammate, future US Senator Bill Bradley, said, "That was the finest example of individual motivation I've ever seen in an athletic game."

Reed's coaching career could be more renowned, as per Daily Mail. Reed would replace Holzman in New York, taking over in 1977-78 at age 35 and leading the Knicks to a respectable 43-39 record and a second-round defeat to the Philadelphia 76ers, similar to how Bill Russell had replaced his mentor, Red Auerbach, in Boston.

The next season, Holzman would regain team leadership after a 6-8 start. From 1981 and 1985, he had a 52-65 record at Creighton before returning to the NBA to coach the Nets in 1987-88 and 1988-89, concluding with a 33-77 mark in New Jersey.

As an executive, he recruited Chick Daly as the head coach of the New York News in 1992. He then worked as vice president of the New Orleans Hornets before retiring in 2007. Reed's reputation as a leader is unquestionable despite his shortcomings as a coach and CEO.

Frazier informed Dennis D'Agostino in his 2003 book Garden Glory: An Oral History of the New York Knicks that Willis "would always take the youngsters under his wing. He would lend you his vehicle or his money. It was his character."

Here are some of the fans' reactions after knowing Willis Reed's death:

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